Brassiere and the like



Jan. 11, 1955 --.e. T. MELNYK BRASSIERE AND THE LIKE Filed June 1, 1953 Jnvehew aeizewieae WZeZg W flyi United States Patent 2,698,941 BRASSIERE AND THE LIKE Genevieve T. Melnyk, Chicago, Ill.

Application June 1, 1953, Serial No. 358,640

1 Claim. (Cl. 2-42) This invention relates to brassieres and the like of the type in which a resilient pad or form is fitted into the brassiere to enhance the bust line. This type of brassire is also used by some to improve the appearance and fit of ready-made dresses and other womens apparel.

One of the principal deficiencies of present brassieres of this type is that the resilient fill-in pad is not securely anchored in place with the result that it is uncomfortable to the wearer and unsightly to the observer. It is therefore one of the principal objects of this invention to provide a brassiere or similar garment in which the fill-in pad is firmly anchored in place and can not accidently become dislodged or displaced.

A further object of the invention is to make the fill-in pad removable if desired to facilitate washing of the brassiere and also to adapt the brassiere to fill-in pads of different sizes and configurations.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent as the disclosure is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is an inside elevational view of a. portion of a brassiere embodying a preferred form of my invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view corresponding to Figure 1, but showing a modified form of the invention; and

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Throughout the specification and claim it should be understood that the term brassiere is used in a broad sense because the invention is equally applicable to halters, swimming suits, and other womens garments. For convenience, however, the invention will be described as applied to the ordinary type of brassiere.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 1, the brassicre generally designated comprises a band portion 11 in which the breast supporting cups 12 are formed, only one being shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention. The brassiere has the usual shoulder straps 13, and the band 11 may be hemmed as shown at 14.

There are a multitude of different styles and types of brassieres on the market, and it should be understood that the choice of one of the more usual constructions is for the purpose of illustrating the application of my invention thereto. In the type of brassiere chosen for illustration, the band 11 may be of satin material and the breast cups 12 are of pliantquilted material as shown at 15. The cup portion 12 is generally conical in form, and it receives a resilient fill-in pad 16, preferably of molded sponge rubber or the like, the pad being also generally conical in form. The pad is held in place by a circular cloth lining 17 which is sewn to the quilted cup portion as indicated at 18 and is provided with a dart 19 in order Ice to have the lining 17 conform generally in shape to the inner face 20 of the pad 16. The dart is sewn at 21 and preferably terminates in a triangular access pocket 22, the margins of the lining at the pocket being hemmed as indicated at 23.

It will be seen that the pad 16 can readily be inserted and removed through the pocket 22 of the lining 17, and once the pad is in position within the cup portion 12, the sewing between the lining 17 and the quilted portion 15, being closely adjacent and conforming in shape to the outer periphery 24 of the pad 16, prevents the pad 16 from becoming displaced to the discomfort and embarrassment of the wearer.

It is obvious that the pad 16 may be made of varying thickness to suit individual preference, and the dart 19 is correspondingly formed to give the proper conical shape to the lining 17.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 3 and 4, the band 25 is provided with a lining 26 adjacent the breast cup generally designated 27, the lining extending to the seam 28. In this style of brassiere, only the lower portion of the breast cup is of quilted material as indicated at 29 and the upper part 30 may be of satin or other suitable material. The pad 30 of resilient sponge-like material is similar in all respects to the pad 16 previously described, and it is held firmly in place by a separate added lining 31 which is generally circular in form as shown in Figure 3, and is stitched as shown at 32 closely adjacent to the peripheral margins of the pad 30 so that it firmly holds the pad in place. In this instance, it is intended that the resilient pad be permanently mounted and placed within the brassiere and the dart 33 provides the conical form to the lining 31.

Of course, it should be understood that the access opening shown in Figures 1 and 2 for inserting and removing the resilient pad 16 may be employed in the form of the invention shown in Figures 3 and 4, and conversely the opening 22 may be omitted in the form of the brassiere shown in Figures 1 and 2 if it is desired to have the pad permanently positioned within the cup 12.

If a pad is used which does not have a circular margin, the inner linings 17 and 31 would be cut to conform to the particular shape of the pad margin and sewn to the brassiere closely adjacent such margin in order to hold it firmly in place.

I claim:

In a brassiere or the like of pliant material having a breast-supporting cup also of pliant material, a shaped resilient pad mounted in said cup conforming generally to the shape of the cup, and a cloth lining mounted over the rear face of said pad secured to said pliant material immediately adjacent to the outer margin of said resilient pad around substantially its entire periphery to thereby hold said resilient pad firmly in place within said cup and to prevent accidental dislodgment, said cloth lining having a dart therein to give it a conical configuration and Em access opening opposite the dart of generally triangular orrn.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,231,011 Glasgow June 26, 1917 2,420,472 Freedman May 13, 1947 2,435,860 Wilkenfeld et al Feb. 10, 1948 2,505,458 Brauer Apr. 25, 1950 2.540.631 Nelson Feb. 6, 1951 

